


let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday

by rissalaroo



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cute, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Pining, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-11-04 18:53:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17903624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rissalaroo/pseuds/rissalaroo
Summary: Rallying the last bit of his courage, Mollymauk leans forward and brushes his lips against Caleb’s cheek.He pulls back, and finally meets Caleb’s gaze. It’s unreadable, but he knows it’s over the second he feels Caleb’s hand leave his wrist. He tenses a little bit, and squeezes his eyes shut. “I’m sorry.”Caleb’s hands cup his face gently. “What do you have to be sorry for,liebling?” he asks, his voice quiet but steady. Mollymauk’s eyes open just in time for him to see Caleb’s eyes flutter shut as he leans in and presses his lips to Molly’s.





	let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday

**Author's Note:**

> ahhh! hey, this is my first widomauk fic! I love these dumbasses so much, so enjoyable. I hope it's not too OOC :)
> 
> (spoilers for ep 26)

Mollymauk hears a quiet rap on the door, and frowns in curiosity as he stands to open it. He knows that most of the Mighty Nein have been asleep for and hour or two at this point, just as he’d been about to be.

 

The door in front of him unlatches as he pulls it open, the chill rushing inside along with the smell of rain. His head pokes out from behind the door, confused as to who could be knocking now. His horn jewelry jingles softly and he tilts his head curiously. it’s pouring outside, but he can see a figure standing just under the short porch outside of the inn room the Might Nein have been staying in. He’d been settling down for the night, finally about to try to sleep, when he’d heard the knock.

 

“Caleb?” he asks, a hint of curiosity lacing his tone.

 

Caleb meets his eyes, then instantly looks like he regrets it. “I-I should not have... this was a bad idea-” he stammers, the soft lilt of his accent becoming more pronounced with each syllable. He’s drenched, his coat dripping and clinging to his form, and he’s shaking. Molly isn’t fully sure that it’s just from the cold and the wet.

 

“Caleb, what’s wrong?” He asks, his brow furrowing with concern. He pushes the door all the way open. “You look cold. If you want to talk about something, you can come inside. It’s warmer in here.” 

 

He sends Caleb a grin, warm and just a little flirty, and it has the exact opposite effect that he wanted. Caleb’s expression falls flat, and he snaps his mouth shut. He turns on his heel and promptly walks back out into the pouring rain. 

 

Molly swears in Infernal, and turns back inside, snatching his coat before he darts out the door after Caleb. His mind whirls as he dashes after Caleb, the wizard’s figure hastily walking away from him. He flinches as he steps out from under the slight porch, the drops of rain soaking into his skin and his clothes. His ostentatious coat does exactly nothing to protect him from the weather, and he shudders.

 

But that isn’t his priority right now; his priority is Caleb, and why exactly he’d showed up at Molly’s door, at approximately one o’clock in the morning in the pouring rain. He dashes after Caleb as fast as he dares, trying not to slip on the wet ground. He catches up with Caleb in the middle of the road in front of the inn, mostly because the wizard had paused as though he doesn’t know where to go.

 

He places a hand on Caleb’s shoulder, and it takes effort to not pull it back when Caleb flinches. “Hey, hey, Caleb, darling, what’s wrong?”

 

Caleb resolutely does not turn or meet his eyes.

 

“Nothing,” He says shortly, his voice barely audible over the noise of the rain hitting the ground. “Nothing is wrong, Mollymauk.”

 

Molly steps out in front of him, placing his left hand on Caleb’s other shoulder. “And I think that’s a lie. Please, Caleb, just tell me what’s wrong? I’m worried, and I’ll stop bugging you, I just want to know if I can help.” His brow is furrowed with concern, and he tries to meet Caleb’s eyes, but his head is bowed and his blue eyes are fixed on the muddy ground.

 

He places a hand on Caleb’s chin, tilting it up with gentle, delicate fingertips. The wizard’s pale skin is cold and wet from the pouring rain, and he shivers at the soft touch. A line of rain traces its way down his face, dripping down his neck. “Mollymauk, I am fine. Truly.” He finally meets Mollymauk’s eyes, blinking away the raindrops gathered on his eyelashes as he does so.

 

“You’re really sure?” Mollymauk prods gently, moving his hand back to rest on Caleb’s shoulder. 

 

Caleb nods. “I am now, _liebling _. I just needed to- Never mind. I’m better now.” Then he places his left hand on Molly’s wrist, and Molly has to keep himself from flinching in surprise. Caleb usually doesn’t initiate physical contact, but he’s gotten much more comfortable with the rest of the Nein touching him. To have Caleb touch him so nonchalantly is a small but important victory. He smiles, his chest aching.__

__

__It gives him hope, and he snuffs that hope out immediately. He can’t try to rush this; Molly knows Caleb well enough that he knows that if he tried to rushed Caleb, it would only be a step backwards._ _

__

__Mollymauk steels himself and keeps the smile plastered onto his face, though it’s almost pained now._ _

__

__He’s been in love with Caleb long enough, though, to know that the pain is worth it._ _

__

__Caleb is an enigma, to say the least. Mollymauk doesn’t know anything about Caleb’s past; he knows even less about Caleb than he does about his own past. That’s almost impressive, considering he knows next-to nothing about his own life prior to waking up in his own gods-damned grave._ _

__

__He relishes in the warm pressure of Caleb’s hand on his, the gesture off-putting (in a good way). He could be satisfied with this, he thinks, before pausing in his train of thought. Mollymauk Tealeaf is never one to be simply _satisfied, _though. He takes a deep breath drawing up courage.___ _

____ _ _

____He moves the hand that Caleb isn’t holding up to the wizard’s face, brushing soaked strands of hair out of his face._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Fuck this. He can’t pine forever, and he knows that Caleb won’t collapse under his words. It’s worth a try._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“Caleb? Can I tell you something, real quick? You don’t- You don’t have to respond if you don’t want to, I just need to let you know.” He sees Caleb nod warily, and closes his eyes. Caleb squeezes his wrist gently, comfortingly, and Molly lets out a soft sigh before opening his eyes again._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“Caleb, I really like you. You’re and amazingly gifted wizard and a valuable ally in battle, but you’re also so much more than that. You’re an integral part of the Mighty Nein, a part of our dumb, bitchy, loving group. But um,” he pauses, eyes flickering down, not daring to meet Caleb’s gaze, “Um. To me, you mean even more than that. I, uh. I’m in love with you. Have been for a while, actually. I just thought that, um, maybe you should know.”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Rallying the last bit of his courage, Mollymauk leans forward and brushes his lips against Caleb’s cheek._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____He pulls back, and finally meets Caleb’s gaze. It’s unreadable, but he knows it’s over the second he feels Caleb’s hand leave his wrist. He tenses a little bit, and squeezes his eyes shut. “I’m sorry.”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Caleb’s hands cup his face gently. “What do you have to be sorry for, _liebling _?” he asks, his voice quiet but steady. Mollymauk’s eyes open just in time for him to see Caleb’s eyes flutter shut as he leans in and presses his lips to Molly’s.___ _ _ _

He’s so surprised he almost forgets to kiss Caleb back. Almost. 

 

Caleb’s lips are warm and soft, and Mollymauk sighs happily into his mouth. He can feel Caleb smiling against him, before deepening the kiss and pushing his tounge into Molly’s mouth. Molly moans, soft and low. The feeling is wonderful, but he does need to breathe at some point(though if he could forego that and just keep kissing Caleb forever, he definitely would). He pulls back from the kiss regretfully, and presses his forehead to Caleb’s. They’re both completely drenched, the rain around them still pouring. 

 

“How about we go inside and do this a little more, hmm?” Molly asks. “I have a room to myself tonight. I think Fjord’s bunking with Jester tonight, if you know what I mean.” He wiggles his eyebrows at Caleb, his smile widening as the wizard laughs quietly.

 

“That sounds good. I would like to get out of this, ah, this rain.”

 

Molly hums and leads Caleb back to his room, bundling them both into clean, dry clothes and extra blankets as swiftly as possible.

 

Caleb looks positively adorable, Mollymauk thinks, with only his eyes and the top of his head visible above the blankets. Molly finishes toweling off his hair before pulling off his boots, blowing out the dimly flickering candle and plunging the room into darkness, and climbing into the bed next to Caleb. Caleb instinctually leans a bit closer to Molly, craving the natural warmth of the tiefling’s body. Molly chuckles a little before opening Caleb’s bundle and pressing himself inside, tucking the blankets back into place around himself.

 

Caleb leans his head against his shoulder, and Mollymauk can feel the vibrations as Caleb speaks. “Ah, Mollymauk, do you know why I came to your door earlier?”

 

Mollymauk shakes his head a little. “No, darling. Care to tell me?” he says gently. Caleb hums his assent.

 

“I fell asleep for a little bit, only like and hour or so. But, ah, it was a dream. The- the battle yesterday. You were too far away from me, I- I couldn’t stop the arrow before-” He cut off midsentence, turning to bury his face into Molly’s neck. 

 

“Shh, shhh, shhhh, love, that’s alright. You don’t have to finish. It’s okay. I’m okay. I’m here, I’ve got you,” He whispers, running his fingers through Caleb’s still-wet hair. “I’ve got you.”

 

Caleb shudders under his touch. “I left because I’d seen you, which should have been enough, but I.. I needed to touch you.” He trailed off. “And I didn’t want to fuck it up, if you didn’t want me in that way, but I just needed to know…”

 

Molly nodded, finishing his sentence for him. “Still really alive. Well, here I am, love. Here I am.” He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Caleb’s head. “By the way, love, what does _liebling _mean?”__

__

__“It means darling. Because that’s what you are,” Caleb murmurs sleepily into his chest. Mollymauk smiles, even as his own eyes slip shut with exhaustion._ _

__

__“I think you’re quite lovely too, Caleb. Good night, I love you.”_ _

__

__“I love you too, Mollymauk,” is the last thing that Caleb manages to say before slipping into dreams once more._ _

__

__

__

__

__

__Weeks later, Caleb’s tears mingle with the rain that soaks the freshly turned earth beneath him. He kneels on the ground, squeezing his eyes shut, even as hot tears trace paths down his cheeks. His hair falls across his face, but he doesn’t reach up to move it away. He tries desperately to fall back into his dreams, his memories, but to no avail. He opens his eyes, and tilts his head up, towards the Item dancing at the edges of his vision._ _

__

__His gaze locks of the coat of Mollymauk Tealeaf, flapping in the wind, a symbol of the man that now lies buried beneath the ground where Caleb kneels. He bows his head once more, his tears again soaking the grave of his lover._ _

**Author's Note:**

> hahaha.... I almost made myself cry while writing this.... rip. anyways! I value comments/kudos as much as caleb values his gold (a lot) so they're always appreciated!! hmu @rissa-doodles if uou wanna chat about critical role, or just,,, Them


End file.
